Europe

Bon Jovi

Mr. Big

Extreme

First of all - if you think "Hair Metal" is a joke, then please don't comment here.
However, if you were a fan of the genre - who was able to still create good, solid "hair metal" albums after "Grunge" took off in 1991/1992? Again, I'm looking for those who were still able to create solid "new" music during this period. Sure, ton's of 80s bands are still touring now - but I'm looking for those that are (or were) still somewhat creative from the mid-nineties even through today.

I would quibble with your time line - hair metal was still pretty popular even until late 1992, possibly even mid-1993. Warrant's Dog Eat Dog (1992) went Gold, Leppard's Adrenalize (1992) went triple platinum, Scorpions Face the Heat (1993) went to #21 and probably close to Gold, Winger's Pull went to #41 in early 1993. Etc.

I would say, 1994-1999 was really the dead period.

In that context, I don't think any hair band actually made a "good" album during that time, either in sales or songwriting, although some might say Crue's self-titled in 1994 came close (and dubiously went Gold).

I would say Van Halen's Balance is easily the best (though not on your list). Short of that, I would say Kiss' Psycho Circus (also not on your list) carried the flame the best, both in terms of album quality and marketplace impact. The reunion was hugely successful. Def Leppard's Euphoria (1999) would be next, which went Gold and had some pop impact. I voted for Leppard.

My own personal favorites are probably Slaughter's Back to Reality and Fear No Evil, though they had zero cultural impact.

I agree with you on Slaughter - I just happened to be listening to Fear No Evil when I was posting this.
I intentionally left off Van Halen - I guess I put them on a different level than a typical hair metal band - but for sure they were still putting out great music in the 90s....

ratt, dokken, crue, even stryper were early 80s LA glam metal, even Bon Jovi and kix are from the same period

Tesla may have been concurrent with the actual hair metal era '86-'93, but they were more no frills, straight up hard rocking than Poison, Winger, Warrant, etc.,

Def Leppard is NWOBHM

WHitesnake predates them all

All these bands did have shared varying songwriting chops and non aversion to hooks and radio airplay. IT seems the ones I flagged because they weren't true hair metal weathered the backlash better than the Poisons, Wingers, Warrants, etc., they existed before, built fan bases, toured hard, and retained followings.

In that context, I don't think any hair band actually made a "good" album during that time, either in sales or songwriting, although some might say Crue's self-titled in 1994 came close (and dubiously went Gold).

I would say Van Halen's Balance is easily the best (though not on your list). Short of that, I would say Kiss' Psycho Circus (also not on your list) carried the flame the best, both in terms of album quality and marketplace impact. The reunion was hugely successful. Def Leppard's Euphoria (1999) would be next, which went Gold and had some pop impact. I voted for Leppard.

My own personal favorites are probably Slaughter's Back to Reality and Fear No Evil, though they had zero cultural impact.

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Cinderella's Still Climbing (1994), which I discovered last year, is good; but went mostly unnoticed.

I've championed Def Leppard's Slang for years now, an impressive effort; and I think it outsold Mötley, too.

ratt, dokken, crue, even stryper were early 80s LA glam metal, even Bon Jovi and kix are from the same period

Tesla may have been concurrent with the actual hair metal era '86-'93, but they were more no frills, straight up hard rocking than Poison, Winger, Warrant, etc.,

Def Leppard is NWOBHM

WHitesnake predates them all

All these bands did have shared varying songwriting chops and non aversion to hooks and radio airplay. IT seems the ones I flagged because they weren't true hair metal weathered the backlash better than the Poisons, Wingers, Warrants, etc., they existed before, built fan bases, toured hard, and retained followings.

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One can easily make the argument that most, or at least half, of Def Leppard's albums are glam metal or some form of glam rock 'n roll.

I don't think anyone carried the flame of hair metal. The vast majority of these bands had little real commercial success after 1992 or 1993 at the last. Anything that even remotely resembled hair metal didn't really have a chance to have a hit after 1992.

Bon Jovi was still huge but their sound moved away from pop rock to quadi-adult contemporary. They had to distance themselves from hair metal in order to survive the 90's. I don't really consider them hair metal anyway.

Some bands like Motley Crüe completely changed their sound/image with little real success. Even their "reunion" in the late 90s wasn't received with much enthusiasm.

Def Leppard had some success in the 90's, but I don't think it is fair to classify them as hair metal.

I don't think anyone carried the flame of hair metal. The vast majority of these bands had little real commercial success after 1992 or 1993 at the last. Anything that even remotely resembled hair metal didn't really have a chance to have a hit after 1992.

Bon Jovi was still huge but their sound moved away from pop rock to quadi-adult contemporary. They had to distance themselves from hair metal in order to survive the 90's. I don't really consider them hair metal anyway.

Some bands like Motley Crüe completely changed their sound/image with little real success. Even their "reunion" in the late 90s wasn't received with much enthusiasm.

Def Leppard had some success in the 90's, but I don't think it is fair to classify them as hair metal.

None of the other bands listed were really a commercial force again.

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Def Leppard is a lot like Guns 'n Roses in that both bands have been glam metal torchbearers, yet people hesitate to associate them with the genre due to the negative connotations of genre tags. It makes it easier to criticize the genre. People don't like to associate certain genre tags with certain bands because those bands tend to put the genre in a more positive light than it would be without those bands.

I don't think anyone carried the flame of hair metal. The vast majority of these bands had little real commercial success after 1992 or 1993 at the last. Anything that even remotely resembled hair metal didn't really have a chance to have a hit after 1992.

Bon Jovi was still huge but their sound moved away from pop rock to quadi-adult contemporary. They had to distance themselves from hair metal in order to survive the 90's. I don't really consider them hair metal anyway.

Some bands like Motley Crüe completely changed their sound/image with little real success. Even their "reunion" in the late 90s wasn't received with much enthusiasm.

Def Leppard had some success in the 90's, but I don't think it is fair to classify them as hair metal.

None of the other bands listed were really a commercial force again.

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firehouse had a top 30 hit with a power ballad in 1995. the album never went gold though partly because the label and the band started feuding and then the band released a contract filler and asked to be released from epic.

ratt, dokken, crue, even stryper were early 80s LA glam metal, even Bon Jovi and kix are from the same period

Tesla may have been concurrent with the actual hair metal era '86-'93, but they were more no frills, straight up hard rocking than Poison, Winger, Warrant, etc.,

Def Leppard is NWOBHM

WHitesnake predates them all

All these bands did have shared varying songwriting chops and non aversion to hooks and radio airplay. IT seems the ones I flagged because they weren't true hair metal weathered the backlash better than the Poisons, Wingers, Warrants, etc., they existed before, built fan bases, toured hard, and retained followings.

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tesla opens concerts for poison now so I'd say poison survived more than tesla did

firehouse had a top 30 hit with a power ballad in 1995. the album never went gold though partly because the label and the band started feuding and then the band released a contract filler and asked to be released from epic.

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Yeah, I would definitely say Firehouse was a hair metal band. I forgot about that one.

I remember thinking that was surprising that it was a hit - not that it was a bad song - but it was so unlike anything else on the charts at that time. It was last gasp of hair metal as a commercial force.

Yeah, I would definitely say Firehouse was a hair metal band. I forgot about that one.

I remember thinking that was surprising that it was a hit - not that it was a bad song - but it was so unlike anything else on the charts at that time. It was last gasp of hair metal as a commercial force.

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I live my life for you. I was so shocked when I heard it on the radio in 1995. I thought bands like that were all but dead

anyways the band slaughter at least stuck to the sound they were known for. great white had some good albums in the 90's but I don't really think of the band as hair metal

I thought Dokken's reunion album, Dysfunctional, in '95 was pretty good and still sounded like themselves, just a bit darker. But as far as "hair bands" who stuck to their guns and weren't influenced by grunge, there weren't many. Tesla and Mr. Big were probably the closest to staying pure and not really altering their original sound.

I thought Dokken's reunion album, Dysfunctional, in '95 was pretty good and still sounded like themselves, just a bit darker. But as far as "hair bands" who stuck to their guns and weren't influenced by grunge, there weren't many. Tesla and Mr. Big were probably the closest to staying pure and not really altering their original sound.

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apparently you never heard a tesla album released after 1995. into the now has a lot of grunge influences.

anyways slaughter and great white have albums release in 1999 that sound exactly the same as the stuff they released in 1990

For me the best albums of that period 1992-1996 in the genre were Bon Jovi's Keep the Faith, Motley Crue s/t and Slang by Def Leppard. Bon Jovi are still going strong putting out No.1 albums and filling out arenas and stadiums around the world. I guess Leppard is doing great also. Many underrated albums came out in that period like Warrant's Dog eat Dog, Skid Row Sub Human Race, Tesla's Psycho Supper, Extreme's Three Sides to Every Story.